FORT WAYNE, Ind. – An Indiana sheriff says 11 of his jail employees were treated with the overdose antidote Narcan (also known as Naloxone) after being exposed to smoke containing the opioid painkiller fentanyl.
Allen County Sheriff David Gladieux tells WANE-TV that jail inmates lit a piece of spice paper on fire that was laced with the deadly drug. The sheriff says the inmates used an electrical outlet. They tried to extinguish the fire with water, which produced more smoke.
Gladieux says a total of 32 guards, a nurse, a police dog handler and the handler’s dog received treatment at hospitals in the Fort Wayne area.
He says his office is investigating how the inmates obtained the fentanyl. He says no inmates were injured.
Officials say a cleaning crew and a hazardous materials team are working to clean up affected areas.